My Grandma’s Oatmeal Cake is an old-fashioned cake made with rolled oats and a delicious coconut almond topping. As they say, “an oldie, but a goodie”!

This recipe comes straight from my grandmother’s recipe box, and it’s been one of our family’s favorites for decades! Other recipes I love that came from my grandmother include: Baked Rice Pudding, Fresh Apple Cake, and Peach Cobbler.

A slice of oatmeal cake on a white plate, with a fork, and I bite taken out of it.

Grandma’s Oatmeal Cake

I have so much love for this delicious cake! It’s in a league of it’s own as far as taste–it’s uniquely delicious, and most people haven’t tried it before and go crazy for it! I think the best part is the coconut/almond topping that gets broiled at the end. It adds a sweet crunch that pairs so well with the extra moist oatmeal cake.

How to make perfect oatmeal cake:

  • Add oatmeal and butter to a bowl and pour boiling water on top. Set aside.
  • Combine wet ingredients. In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, brown sugar, and white sugar and beat well.
  • Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Add to the bowl with wet sugar mixture and stir to combine.
  • Add oatmeal mixture and stir to combine.
  • Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Four process photos with text on them for making oatmeal cake. A mixing bowl the oatmeal, butter and boiling water, another bowl with sugars and egg, flour added to the bowl and then the oatmeal mixture added.

  • Make the coconut frosting. While the cake is baking, make the topping by combining all the ingredients in a bowl.
  • Broil. Remove the cake from the oven and turn the oven to high broil.  Spread the topping evenly over the warm cake and place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until the coconut is golden brown.

Baked oatmeal cake in a glass 9x13 inch dish next to the cake with coconut almond topping added on top.

Making Oatmeal Cake Ahead of Time:

This cake can definitely be made in advance. In fact, it tastes just as good if not better made one day ahead of time.  Allow it to cool to room temperature and store it on the counter tightly, covered in tinfoil.

A pan of oatmeal cake with coconut almond topping, cut into squares.

TWO Things that set this recipe apart from the others:

  1. No quick-cooking oats.  You’ll notice many recipes call for quick oats.  I think true old-fashioned oatmeal cake deserves old-fashioned rolled oats.  Plus the texture and flavor are better with rolled oats.
  2. Coconut Almond topping.  I love the flavor and crunch of the chopped almonds in the topping. You could also use walnuts (walnuts were used more often in my Grandma’s day), but I like the almonds better for this cake.

Oatmeal cake served on a white plate with a fork, on a white marble board.

CONSIDER TRYING THESE POPULAR “OLD-FASHIONED” DESSERTS:

 

You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!

Recipe

A slice of oatmeal cake on a white plate, with a fork, and I bite taken out of it.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 40 minutes
Total 50 minutes
Save Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the topping

  • 6 Tablespoons butter , room temperature
  • 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup nuts
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13'' pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Add the oatmeal and butter to a bowl and pour boiling water on top. Set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, brown sugar, and white sugar and mix well.
  • In a separate bowl sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.
  • Add to the bowl with eggs and sugars and stir to combine. 
  • Add the oatmeal mixture and stir to combine. 
  • Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • While the cake is baking, make the topping by combining all the ingredients in a bowl.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and turn the oven to high broil. 
  • Spread the topping evenly over the warm cake and place under the broiler for 2-4 minutes or until the coconut is golden brown.

Notes

This cake tastes great made 1-2 days in advance, if you'd like!  It's perfect for bringing to potlucks and parties! 

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 5gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 298mgPotassium: 172mgFiber: 2gSugar: 38gVitamin A: 385IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 1.5mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tag @TastesBetterFromScratch on Instagram with #TastesBetterFromScratch!

Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

 

I originally shared this recipe July 2015. Updated August 2019.

Grandma's Oatmeal Cake-- seriously one of the best cakes ever. Super moist with a delicious coconut almond topping. Recipe from TastesBetterFromScratch.com

Related Posts

Share Recipe

Categories

About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

Leave A Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Baked this yesterday following all the instructions except that I left off the broiled topping (can’t have those ingredients). The cake is SO moist, flavorful, and yummy; Hubby loved it, too. A definite keeper…thanks, both to you and your grandma!

  2. This has to be one of the best oatmeal cakes I’ve ever tasted! I did add some raisins I soaked in a spiced rum (1 cup), but that’s the only thing I changed. I took this cake to a birthday dinner, and people came back for seconds. I was told over and over how much they really loved this cake. Thank you for an awesome recipe!

  3. Love this recipe. Tried it last night with a little twist. I added a bit of dates to replace the sugar and it was really good. Thank you!

  4. This recipe gas also been in our family for many years.I am almost 70 and always asked my Mom to make this cake for my birthdays. After she was gone, I baked it for myself. The only thing different is that I put it in an 8×8 square pan to bake. I am making it for my granddaughter today as she has been working hard. You can’t go wrong with this cake.

  5. Soooo many compliments. Interesting cuz young adults had never tried it let alone even heard of it. It was so good and got to spend the afternoon thinking about my mom and her mom when they used to make it! My daughter just texted asking g for the recipe.

  6. 5 stars
    I’ve made this cake twice. The 1st time I made it I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out very well, the 2nd time I altered the recipe slightly. I added 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of nutmeg and 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. So good!! My husband loves this cake! ( both versions)

See More Comments